Israel forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank refugee camp raid

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in a refugee camp raid in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.

Israeli forces stormed Nur Shams camp near the city of Tulkarm, where fighting broke out, resulting in the killing of two Palestinians.

The Palestinian health ministry identified them as Samer Salah Al-Shafii and Hamza Jamil Kharyoush, both aged 22.

One Palestinian was injured but was in stable condition, the ministry said on Facebook.

Al-Shafii had been hit in the neck, chest and abdomen while Kharyoush was struck in the chest, abdomen and left leg, it said.

Local sources said residents of the camp recovered two men's bodies, The New Arab's Arabic sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

The sources said Israeli forces surrounded Al-Shafii's home in Nur Shams camp and fought with him and Kharyoush.

The men tried to escape through a window but were killed, according to the sources.

Israeli special forces infiltrated the refugee camp at around 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) and after their discovery, large numbers of army reinforcements arrived, sources said.

Israeli snipers took position on buildings, they added.

The Israeli army said the two men killed were "involved in the shooting attack in Avnei Heftz on May 2, 2023 during which an Israeli civilian was injured".

Avnei Heftz is a settlement in the West Bank deemed illegal under international law.

"The two gunmen were shot and killed after attempting to flee the scene," an army statement said, adding that two others were arrested in the operation.

"Two M-16 rifles, military vests and magazines" were confiscated during the raid, the army said.

The Tulkarm Brigade, a local militant group linked to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, the armed wing of the ruling Fatah party, claimed the two Palestinians killed as members.

A sharp uptick in violence against Palestinians has seen more than 100 killed by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers so far this year.

The West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus in particular have recently been heavily targeted by Israeli army raids.

Agencies contributed to this report.